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US 2024/0076045 A1Published application
Parachute assemblies with multi-stage reefing
AssigneeRockwell Collins, Inc.
InventorsJeff Benjamin, Kassidy L Carson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A parachute assembly may comprise a canopy and one or more reefing lines. The one or more reefing lines may limit inflation of the canopy to attenuate impulse load or otherwise mitigate forces exerted by the parachute assembly on cargo or an occupant during deployment of the canopy. The one or more reefing lines may be broken in stages to selectively limit inflation of the canopy followed by selectively permitting inflation of the canopy in stages.
Claims20
A parachute assembly, comprising:
- a parachute canopy;
- a first reefing line disposed adjacent an edge of the parachute canopy to restrict inflation of the parachute canopy;
- a second reefing line comprising a reefing line insert coupled between a first portion of the first reefing line and a second portion of the first reefing line;
- and
- a first cutter configured to break the second reefing line in response to a passing of a first elapsed period of time after a first triggering event, wherein the breaking the second reefing line causes a lengthening of the first reefing line.
2 more elements
A parachute assembly, comprising:
- a parachute canopy;
- a first reefing line having a first length and disposed adjacent an edge of the parachute canopy to restrict inflation of the parachute canopy;
- a second reefing line having a second length and disposed adjacent the first reefing line of the parachute canopy to restrict inflation of the parachute canopy;
- a first cutter configured to break the first reefing line in response to a passing of a first elapsed period of time after a first triggering event;
- and
- a second cutter configured to break the second reefing line in response to a passing of a second elapsed period of time after the breaking the first reefing line.
3 more elements
A method of staged parachute deployment comprising:
- deploying a parachute canopy of the parachute assembly;
- increasing a tensile load applied to a first reefing line having a first length and disposed adjacent an edge of the parachute canopy for restricting of inflation of the parachute canopy;
- breaking, by a first cutter, the first reefing line in response to a passing of a first elapsed period of time after a first triggering event;
- subsequently to the breaking the first reefing line, increasing a tensile load applied to a second reefing line having a second length and disposed adjacent the first reefing line of the parachute canopy for the restricting of inflation of the parachute canopy, wherein the second length is selected to provide less restricting of inflation of the parachute canopy than the first length;
- and
- breaking, by a second cutter, the second reefing line in response to a passing of a second elapsed period of time after the breaking the first reefing line.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.